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The tinkling of the shop bell interrupted our conversation

"Excuse o anyway"

I tried to return the gris-gris, but she wouldn’t take it

"That’s for you"

"I don’t think so"

"It’ll protect you against the mojo from the flower"

"Sure it will"

She tilted her head "What can it hurt?"

"Depends on what you put in here Bats’ wings? Puppy dog tails? I’ so orave of a believer"

I ," she said "I also put in a little so to keep the beasts of the swa with a gun and a baseball bat

"If you’re going to be working in the swa around"

I shoved the gris-gris into my pocket

"In the old days, people placed charms in their left shoes," Cassandra continued, "but the old days are the reason a lot of folks wound up laine why"

"Just keep the gris-gris on you by day and under your pillow by night Make sure you take it out before the et a little freaked if they find the or not Probably not

"Letto you"

I’d enjoyed talking to her, too I didn’t have many friends Hell, I didn’t have any Once I’d found Simon, I’d let the few I had drift away I was in a bizarre profession, which didn’t lend itself to ca of the phone, never knehen I’d coot lunch dates, could care less about ists

Well, they’d as soon steal your Loch Ness Monster as look at you

Arriving back at the hotel, I discovered the maid had cleaned my room and departed I dropped my clothes on the floor, left a request for a wake-up call for an hour before dusk, then shoved the gris-gris beneath ht Well, as Cassandra said - couldn’t hurt

I slept like the dead, waking with a yelp when the phone shrilled next to my ear A recorded voice reifts on the bed My gris-gris was right where I’d left it Yay

I got dressed, pocketed the char to put the when I pulled up at the dock The sun cast orange rays through the trees and across his face I blinked For an instant the light had taken on the shade of fresh blood

I pushed aside the disturbing thought I was the oddess, not a prophet, if I believed Cassandra’s naoddess do? I probably didn’t want to know

The gris-gris weighed heavily in my pocket, and I was tempted to throw the talisman into the drink But I didn’t want Charlie to see it The way he’d behaved this afternoon at the ood

"Ready?" he asked

In lieu of an answer, I cliht settled over us like a cool velvet curtain The stars came out, and the crescent ht attached to the front of the boat, and I stared, transfixed, at what see orbs in the water

"Gators," he said "They like the dark"

In the daytiators were slow and unthreatening Not very ht, surrounded by their glowing eyes, every one of which see indeed I longed to be back on solid ground

"Where are we going?" I asked

"Thought you wanted to see the place where the body was found"

"I do"

Charlie pointed straight ahead "Right there"

"Who discovered it?"

"Me"

"You?" I stared at him incredulously "You said you hadn’t seen the wolf"

"Friend of mine did"

"So it didn’t necessarily kill the man"

"Guy’s throat was torn Paw prints all around him"

"Not a coyote?"

"Coyotes are scavengers and cowards They wouldn’t kill a man"

"Neither would a wolf"